Tuesday, October 6, 2009

OT: Australia - even at second best is still a great place

AUSTRALIA has the second best quality of life in the world and could pip Norway for top spot next year, the author of a UN report on migration and development says.

Australia was ranked second among 182 countries on a scale measuring life expectancy, school enrolments and income in the United Nations Development Program's Human Development Report 2009, published yesterday.

The US slipped a spot to 13 and Britain was steady at 21, based on the latest internationally comparable data from 2007. Niger ranked lowest, followed by Afghanistan and Sierra Leone..

An acquaitance recently spent several months living in Norway, and declared that she had to travel to Denmark to have any fun. A mutual Swedish friend commented that it just goes to show how dismal Norway is, if Denmark counts as fun.